Northern Ireland’s justice minister has floated a pilot vaping scheme for prisoners – as the Republic of Ireland doubles vape prices with a new tax from November.
Prison smoking exemption under scrutiny
Almost 20 years after Northern Ireland’s workplace smoking ban came into force, prison officers are still exposed to second-hand smoke, as inmates are permitted to smoke in their cells. The exemption, made under The Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, treats prison cells as “a prisoner’s home.”
Ulster Unionist MLA Jon Burrows has urged the Department of Justice to end the exemption, saying it is “unjustifiable that prison officers in Northern Ireland who already do a difficult and stressful job must also endure second-hand smoke in their workplace.”
“The Ulster Unionist Party has been listening closely to the concerns of our prison officers,” he said, “and we are now demanding that the Department of Justice and the Northern Ireland Prison Service take immediate policy and operational steps to protect the health of those who serve on the front line.”
Burrows said there was “no reason why Northern Ireland should lag behind in protecting our officers from passive smoking,” pointing to the success of smoke-free prisons across the UK.
Vaping pilot planned
Justice Minister Naomi Long, however, says the exemption recognises the “unique operational environment” of prisons, where managing “large numbers of nicotine dependent people in a secure setting” carries “associated risks for order and control.”
But she confirmed plans are underway for a “proof-of-concept for the use of e-cigarettes within an area of Magilligan Prison,” set for December 2025. If successful, it could be rolled out across the prison estate as part of a wider smoking cessation strategy.
Republic of Ireland doubles down on vaping
The move stands in sharp contrast to the Republic of Ireland, where the government is taking a hard line on vaping. From November 1, all e-liquids will be taxed at 50c per millilitre – a measure expected to double retail prices across the country.
A 10ml bottle of e-liquid that once cost between €3 and €5 will soon rise to around €8 to €10, adding more than €500 a year to regular users’ costs.
Republic of Ireland Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said the new “E-Liquid Products Tax” would “help to address the public health concerns created by the rising prevalence of vapes and related products on the Irish market and their increasing usage amongst young people.”
He added that Ireland’s approach “supports the proper functioning of the internal market” by harmonising tax treatment of “novel products” such as e-liquids.
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill also backed the measure, saying: “We do not know the long-term harms of vaping products and most contain nicotine which is highly addictive. Protecting children and young people from these products is a priority for this Government.”
Alongside the tax, she confirmed plans to “restrict packaging and appearance, flavours, retail advertising and display for nicotine inhaling products and a ban on all single-use vapes.”
